"Young mistress, forget about that scumbag," She Long comforted Qian Renxue, seeing her so lost.
"He's not a scumbag—it was me who deceived him first. He probably didn't even know I was a girl. Plus, as the crown prince, it was natural for him to be vigilant." Qian Renxue, in full love-brain mode, made excuses for Tianlin.
She Long was left speechless—she made sense.
A genius must learn to hide before becoming strong. If Tianlin had exposed his twin martial souls early, She Long would have acted against him long ago.
But now, he was no match for Tianlin. While everyone was focused on Tang San, thinking he was the most promising, Sword Prince Tianlin kept his potential hidden, never vying for number one, until last night's explosive display.
Just like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, which had long surpassed Clear Sky Sect but stayed in second place, knowing that it's safer to be number two.
"Sigh, young mistress, forget him." She Long could only advise.
"I will—but before that, I want to see him once more!" Qian Renxue's eyes were determined.
She Long was terrified, "You want to go to the Seven Treasure Sect? That's impossible. Their strength is far beyond what we imagined. With Porcupine Douluo dead, I can't protect you alone."
Qian Renxue shook her head, "We don't need to enter the sect. I can write a letter and ask someone to arrange a meeting. I know him; he won't bring people to harm me."
"That was before—you're enemies now! Our priority is to return to Spirit Hall," She Long pleaded. Now was not the time for love.
"No need for all that. If you want to see him, why not go directly?" Suddenly, a voice descended from the sky, entering their souls.
The newcomer's cultivation was unimaginable—even both She Long, a true Titled Douluo, and Qian Renxue, who now also had Titled Douluo power, hadn't noticed him approach.
Holy light shone, and a handsome middle-aged man with six angelic wings appeared before them.
"Grandfather!"
"She Long greets the Grand Worship!"
Both were thrilled. Qian Renxue was moved by seeing her most important family, and She Long was relieved—no one could harm her now.
"Let's go, Xue'er. I want to meet that brat myself and see if he's as bold as to tell me to collect my corpse!" Qian Daoliu said.
Qian Renxue was startled. Tianlin was too bold—who else dared talk to Qian Daoliu like that?
She Long didn't even dare deliver the message, pushing it onto Spirit Kite Douluo instead.
"Grandfather, don't be angry. Xiao Tian is a genius—some arrogance is inevitable. I'll make him apologize to you."
Qian Daoliu nearly choked from anger at his granddaughter's habit of defending the enemy.
…
The strongest opponent was coming, but inside the Seven Treasure Sect, everyone was still rebuilding, and the day's work was finally done. Gu Ran was showing off the 40,000-year Emperor Gold Elephant skull he'd taken from Hu Yanli.
"Fatty, how many bones do you have? I have four now, mostly thanks to our boss. See, he likes me more!" Gu Ran boasted to Ma Hongjun.
"So what?" Ma Hongjun was jealous; he only had one bone.
Gu Ran had reason to be proud—at this rate, he'd have a full set of six when he became a Titled Douluo. A full-bone Douluo was a different league.
In the original, Tang Hao could crush several Spirit Hall Douluo not just because of his skills but also because of his full set of bones.
Tianlin came over holding Ning Rongrong's hand and smacked Gu Ran on the head. "What are you showing off for? You're only good at fighting. When I asked you to act, you were over the top!"
"Was it that bad?" Gu Ran protested.
"All you did was wail, not a single tear. Acting should come from the heart—you were too superficial."
"But those dead were Spirit Hall's people, our enemies! It was hard enough not to laugh, let alone cry."
"If you can't cry, you should do as I did—express sadness with silence."
Ma Hongjun was confused. "Big Sis Rongrong, are they talking about acting? Isn't this a bit off track?"
"Don't worry about it. Sword brother is a genius, but sometimes he acts weird. Gu Ran caught it from him. I'm used to it," Ning Rongrong replied helplessly.
Ye Lingling nodded, "Me too. The guys from the Emperor Team all have weird quirks now."
Life was peaceful for everyone here. Unfortunately, just as everyone was enjoying themselves, the peace was shattered.
A golden light descended from the sky—though it was night, it lit up the entire sect as if it were day.